20 THE EEPORT UPON No. 13 



The Manitou Fish Co. had a very good catch in the first part of the season until 

 about the 11th of June, but not much of a catch since. Their hatchery was a 

 failure last winter. Regarding game, the partridge are increasing, ducks about the 

 same as last year, and deer very scarce. He has had no complaints, and as far as 

 known the law has not been broken. 



Overseer WiUiam Hunter, of TehTcummah, reports that there have been no com- 

 plaints of any illegal fishing or hunting this season so far. There seems to be a 

 scarcity of trout in Manitou River, though there is a fishway wanted at MichaePs 

 Bay, and he. is informed by some of the settlers around Providence Bay that the 

 close season for fishing in Mindemoya Lake is a month too late, as the fish spawn 

 in that lake in October instead of November. The Sandfield Mills' hatchery has not 

 been in operation this summer, but he understands the company are going to start 

 this fall and run this winter. The Fishery and Game laws have been well respected 

 in this part of the Island this year. 



Overseer Thomas Johnson, of SauU Ste. Marie, reports that the Fisheries Regu- 

 lations have been well observed in that district, and he believes a good improvement 

 over past years. All who came to the Island to fish had their permits this year and 

 they report good fishing and seem highly pleased with the method adopted for pro- 

 tecting the speckled trout. He thinks it was a good thing to license the Canadian 

 guides, and he is quite convinced that the trip of the " Edna Ivan '' along the shore 

 had a great effect in stopping illegal fishing. He has heard several say it is not 

 safe to try that kind of thing any longer. Fishing this year around the Island 

 was a little better than usual; fishermen say it was owing to the nice summer. 

 October was very rough, and they lost a great number of nets. Fish of both kinds 

 were larger than usual. 



Overseer Richard Oliver, of Little Current, as captain of the patrol boat "Vega,'' 

 reports that the "Vega" went into commission May 17th, and he has been able to 

 give a fairly good service, though, in his opinion, he has not been able to do 

 justice to the amount of territory that she had to cover, as the territory was too 

 large. He has found the game plentiful, though he has received several reports of 

 deer and moose being slaughtered, which he has not been able to properly inves- 

 tigate. The fishing, such as black bass and pickerel, has been extra good. The 

 season for tourists has been a good one, and there has been a great number of them 

 along the north shore of North Channel, between Penetang and Algoma Mills. He 

 finds the guides, or at least the majority of them, have been a great assistance to 

 him in the vicinity of Little Current. He finds that the guides farther east where 

 the summer hotels are, are handicapped or ruled to a certain extent by the hotel 

 keepers. If they do not please the tourists they are not employed as the hotel 

 keepers nearly always give the tourist the names of the guides that they wish em- 

 ployed, and if they do not please the tourist and work to the interest of the hotel- 

 keeper they are not employed, and a great number of the tourists do not take 

 guides at all and there is no check on them as to keeping the law. He finds that 

 commercial fisheries in the majority of places have not been nearly as good as they 

 were last year, though the weather has been fairly good except about six weeks 

 in the latter part of the season, when it was very rough. 



The pound net fishing, he thinks, has been very nearly as good as last year, 

 although he has not yet received the fishermen's returns so he cannot speak posi- 



